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Dana White's Contender Series 2025 Week 1 free live stream results & highlights

Don't miss any of the action from tonight's DWCS card.
Drew Beaupre|
(Ken Hathaway/MMA Junkie)

This year’s season of Dana White’s Contender Series officially kicks off tonight (August 12) as 10 fighters meet at the UFC Apex to try and punch their ticket to the UFC.

On the same week that Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev will fight for the middleweight belt at UFC 319 and news broke of a huge new deal between the UFC and Paramount, MMA fans will be treated to a five-fight card in Las Vegas that boasts an undefeated fighter in every matchup.

Three of the fights will fittingly be contested at 185 lbs. as du Plessis prepares to try and defend his middleweight title for the third time this weekend against Chimaev, and Week 1 of DWCS also includes matchups in the featherweight and welterweight divisions.

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The first DWCS fight of 2025 will see Yuri Panferov try to take advantage of a second opportunity on the show when he meets undefeated middleweight Christopher Ewert. “El Tanke” was actually pulled from the fight to step in and face Jackson McVey at UFC 317 back in June, but after Ewert was unable to make weight for that event he was rebooked to meet Panferov in Las Vegas.

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Christopher Ewert vs. Yuri Panferov.
Christopher Ewert vs. Yuri Panferov. | (Ken Hathaway/MMA Junkie)

Canada takes on Australia in the night’s lone featherweight bout between Battlefield Fight League Champion Radley Da Silva and HEX Fight Series Champion George Mangos. Baysangur Susurkaev also steps in to replace Damian Pinas and put his undefeated record on the line when he meets Murtaza Talha, who suffered his lone pro loss on DWCS in 2023 when he was knocked out in the second round by current UFC light heavyweight Rodolfo Bellato.

Baysangur Susurkaev vs. Murtaza Talha.
Baysangur Susurkaev vs. Murtaza Talha. | (Ken Hathaway/MMA Junkie)

LFA standout Ty Miller will throw down with fellow welterweight prospect Jimmy Drago in the night’s penultimate bout, and the final fight scheduled for DWCS Week 1 is another middleweight matchup between undefeated Frenchman Ilian Bouafia and Brazil’s Neemias Santana.

Jimmy Drago vs. Ty Miller.
Jimmy Drago vs. Ty Miller. | (Ken Hathaway/MMA Junkie)

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All fighters successfully made weight for their respective bouts ahead of the event. The action is set to kick off at 7:00 p.m. ET, and fans can catch the entire card live on ESPN+.

Baysangur Susurkaev def. Murtaza Talha

Dana White’s Contender Series 2025: Week 1 (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN+)


• Main Event: Ilian Bouafia def. Neemias Santana via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 29-27x2)

• Ty Miller def. Jimmy Drago via Unanimous Decision (30-27x3)

• Baysangur Susurkaev def. Murtaza Talha via TKO: R1, 3:04

• Radley Da Silva def. George Mangos via Unanimous Decision (29-28x3)

• Yuri Panferov def. Christopher Ewert via Unanimous Decision (30-27x3)

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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